While few things in life are certain, taxes certainly are. Chances are that you’re going to be paying taxes throughout your life. At certain points, though, your relationship to those taxes will change. If you’re considering getting married, starting a family, or getting divorced, there are a few things you should know about how these major life changes will affect the taxes you pay. Let’s dive into the marriage tax benefits below.

Getting Married

If you’ve found someone you want to spend the rest of your life with, there are more benefits to marriage than having someone to share your best and worst moments with you. Getting married opens up new possibilities when it comes to filing taxes. You can still choose to file your taxes separately from your spouse, of course, but joint filing has its advantages.

Filing Joint Taxes

You may qualify for a lower tax bracket when filing together

Tax brackets work differently when a joint tax return is filed. Although married tax brackets are not exactly double the income of an individual filing, the income limit is still higher than it would be for an individual. For example, if one spouse makes significantly more than the other, it is entirely possible that the couple would end up having a lower marginal tax rate than an individual who makes as much as their combined income.

Contributing to an IRA while unemployed

Normally, an unemployed individual is ineligible to make contributions to an IRA (individual retirement account.) However, a married couple filing their taxes jointly can make use of combined income to make contributions to each spouse’s IRA, even if one of them does not currently have a source of income. Additionally, the limit at which tax benefits for IRA contributions are phased out is higher for married couples than for individuals.

Mix and match benefits

In the event that both spouses have jobs with differing benefits packages, it is possible to combine the best options available to each one in order to maximize tax savings. For example, when one spouse has the option of contributing to a DCFSA (dependent care flexible spending account) to save on child care expenses, the other spouse can choose to cover the family through their employer’s health insurance plan.

Filing is quicker and potentially less expensive

If you only have to file one tax return, odds are you’ll spend less time preparing it, and you save on the costs of filing twice. Simple, but effective!

Growing the Family Allows for Even More Marriage Tax Benefits

Sometimes getting married also means that children will factor into the equation one way or another. Aside from the joys—and struggles—of parenthood, having children as a married couple can be beneficial when it comes to your taxes.

Depending on your specific situation, you could be eligible to receive a number of tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit, the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and the Lifetime Learning Credit, among others. In the case of the latter two, while they are applicable for individuals, you are able to claim them for your dependents, as well. Children’s medical expenses can also be applied toward your overall medical deductions, and so can child care expenses under certain circumstances

Taking out a life insurance policy can also be a good decision taxwise, even though you yourself may not be around to reap the benefits of it. In the event that you have a life insurance policy and you were to pass away, that life insurance payout would be made to your beneficiaries—your spouse and children in this example—completely tax-free.

Another option that is a great idea when starting a family is starting a retirement account. Retirement account deposits are a top tax-reduction tool, mainly because they serve two different purposes.

Deposits to a classic 401(k) and IRA accounts can be deducted from your taxable income and, because of this, it lowers the total amount of federal tax you would owe. These funds also will increase and would be tax-free until you retire. If you start this process early on, this could be a huge help to ensure an early retirement that will be comfortable to live off of.

While contributions to workplace 401(k) accounts must be made by the end of the calendar year, tax-deductible contributions can be made to traditional IRAs up until the April 15 filing deadline.

Though it may be an unpleasant topic to discuss, it’s something to be aware of when considering your family’s financial security in the event that one is unable to be there for them.

Splitting Up

Sometimes, things don’t work out in a marriage–and that’s okay. There are, however, a few tax considerations to be mindful of when you’re contemplating or already going through a divorce.

If you haven’t yet finalized the divorce, you can still file your taxes separately to make the process of separating your financial affairs easier. In the event that you choose to do this, or if the divorce has already been finalized, arrangements can be made to have one parent claim the child as a dependent while the other receives the dependent care credits, regardless of whether they are considered the custodial parent.

Another detail to keep an eye out for is the process of dividing assets. When assets get divided, the party receiving said asset doesn’t have to pay taxes as a result of that transfer. However, if said asset is sold—say, $70,000 in stocks with a tax basis of $35,000—the receiving party is responsible for paying taxes on the appreciation of the asset—the $35,000 over the tax basis, in this case.

Likewise, when selling what is considered a primary residence, married couples are allowed to not pay taxes on the first $500,000 made from the sale, whereas individuals may only exclude the first $250,000. If you were to sell said residence after a divorce, each party is allowed to exclude up to $250,000, as long as the appropriate requirements are met.

Our team of experienced and professional tax attorneys at Silver Tax Group understands the unique issues faced by businesses such as yours and are available to offer our expertise and assistance to you and your business.